A Change of Dress
by Mrs Ronald Weasley
Summary: Wilson and Cameron start dressing differently and House wants to find out why. Set during Fidelity. HouseWilson established slash relationship.


**A Change of Dress**

Author: Mrs. Ronald Weasley

Rating: PG or K+

Pairing/s: House/Wilson established relationship

Warnings: Mentions of Slash

Category: Romance/General

Summary: When House notices changes in the way Wilson and Cameron have been dressing for work and he becomes engaged with finding out why. Set during the episode "Fidelity".

A/N: This idea popped into my head while I was watching "Fidelity". Some of the dialogue is taken from the show, the characters actions and the way the show plays out is not the same though, please be aware of that. Anyway, please read and review.

House stood alone in the lobby of the hospital, he had just arrived and already he seen Cameron walking toward him, case file in hand, meaning that they had new patient. She stopped and handed him the file; he opened it and started to read it over. "She's been averaging eighteen hours of sleep a day since her admission," Cameron stated as she watched her boss read the notes.

He closed it and said, "Clinical depression. Incredibly contagious, every time I'm around one of them I get blue."

"It's not clinical depression," she said, looking at him.

"Great, you got it all figured out," he said, walking towards the elevator. "You don't need me."

"Three ER doctors, two neurologists and a radiologist have all figured out what it's not, we need to figure out what it _is_," Cameron said as she followed him.

"Well, maybe if the above mentioned doctors were interested in my opinion they would've asked for it."

"None of them are willing to subject themselves to you." The elevator dinged and opened.

"No pain, no gain," House said, entering it, Cameron followed. As he waited for the door to close he opened the file again.

"The blood work showed no signs of inflammation, and no one can figure out what's actually the cause of-"

"Huh," he cut her off.

"What?"

"Husband described her as being unusually irritable recently."

"And?" she prompted.

"I didn't know it was possible for a woman to be _unusually _irritable," he said. The elevator stopped and the doors opened.

"Nice try, but you're a misanthrope, not a masochist," Cameron told him and he silently laughed at this.

"What's the first thing you ask a doctor who's referring a patient?" House asked after he had regained composure.

Alison frowned, "are you questioning my ability to take a history?" He didn't respond, just simply looked at her. She sighed, "What's the primary-"

"Not 'what', _why_," he told her.

"Diseases don't have motives," she said.

"No, but doctors do. Why this patient? What interests you?" House eyed the chart in her hand. "Give me the chart."

"Why?"

"I find your interest interesting," He said, but paused as he noticed what she was wearing: a nice _low_ cut top and matching black pinstriped pants. "Actually I find your clothes interesting." She looked down at herself. "Dressed to impress, but the question is who? Foreman? Nah, he's not your type, too self-centered. Chase, maybe?"

"I am _not_ trying to impress anyone," she stalked off towards the conference room.

House and Wilson walked out of exam room one after finishing the examination on the woman that had come into the clinic with shortness of breath. House had discovered that the patient had had cosmetic surgery done on her breasts and had called Wilson for a _consult_. "Well, that's what breasts look like," James said as they walked toward the nurse's station.

Greg shot him an 'as-if-you-would-know' look before countering with, "is a lie a lie if everyone knows it's a lie?"

Wilson rolled his eyes, "well if a tree pretends to fall in the forest…House come on! They're breasts! They're a birthday present, not a philosophical treatise."

They reached the nurse's station and House started flipping through a file. "Line number one," he said, "she did not do that for her husband, she did that for herself. She thinks if she looks different, she'll be different."

"No, she thinks if she looks different she'll be more attractive," he paused and smiled, "which I have to say…"

"Not to her husband," Greg told him, "Cosmetic surgery is so everyone else will look at us differently." He looked up from the file; realization finally dawning on him. House did a quick swipe of Wilson with his eyes taking notice of the way he was dressed: suit, complete with a jacket. The ever present lab coat was gone and his blue eyes narrowed as he settled on the green silk tie around James' neck. "Same reason why you're wearing that tie."

Wilson narrowed his own brown eyes and looked at down at the tie; "well exactly, that was gonna be my next point!" he said sarcastically.

"Last three months, same five ties," House stated, once again looking at the tie. "Thursday should be that paisley thing."

Wilson tried to defend himself through a lie, which he knew House would see straight through, but he wasn't about to tell him the truth, at least not yet anyway. "It's a gift from my wife."

"No, it's not," Greg acknowledged. "Julie hates green. You bought that yourself." His eyes suddenly lit up and James knew what was coming, he just hoped House wouldn't let their secret out. "You wanna look pretty. At work," he stopped and smiled before continuing in a sing song sort of voice: "Wilson's got a girlfriend…"

"Stop!" Wilson blushed. "Stop, I don't…"

"It takes two department heads to treat shortness of breath? What, do the complications increase exponentially with cup size?" Both men looked to see Cuddy standing on the other side of the desk; a smug look on her face.

"I want an EKG and blood tests including tox screen on Mrs…Exam Room One," House said, flipping shut a file.

"You're ordering tests to cover your lechery, interesting," She said.

"Very tricky case," House said, Cuddy walked away and he turned back to James; "you love everybody, that's your pathology." He left, leaving a stunned and slightly disgruntled Wilson behind.

Greg entered the conference room to find the ducklings and Wilson there, they were talking as he entered, "Creepy-crawlies are consistent with paraneoplastic syndrome," Wilson was saying.

"Onset immediately after IVIG isn't," Cameron said, and House noted the way she was looking at James, like she wished he would pay more attention to her.

House turned and looked at them, "there is a simple explanation: maybe she really has bugs under her skin."

"Infection?" Chase offered from where he sat, between Foreman and Cameron.

"That's what the worsening of symptoms after immunotherapy would suggest," House said.

"Blood cultures and the timeline rule out most bacteria," Foreman stated.

"If a patient throws up on your shoes do you clean up _most_ of it?" House glared at him for a moment before quickly glancing in Cameron's direction; her eyes seemed to be glued to Wilson.

"The symptoms rule out the rest. Serology rules out viruses, CSS smears rule out parasites," Foreman said.

"In the final stage of African Trypanosomiasis almost all the parasites are inside the brain. It's possible they wouldn't show on smears." Greg moved to the counter to get himself a coffee, or so it seemed that way to the rest of them. House noticed right then that James had been staring at him with the same intensity as Cameron was at him, when House's gaze momentarily met Wilson's; the oncologist shifted uncomfortably and looked away.

"But it's not possible for a patient who's never been to Africa to have African sleeping sickness," Foreman continued, he noticed nothing.

"I'm just saying it fits the symptoms," House said, pouring the coffee into his cup.

"She could have gotten it from a transfusion," Wilson presented.

"Or I'm just saying she could have got it from a transfusion," Greg glared briefly at James before returning his look to the rest of the room.

"Which she never had," Cameron removed her eyes away from Wilson to ogle at House.

"Okay," he said, returning the stare.

"What about toxins?" James cut off the gawking contest that had seemed to have been started between the two.

"No, the kitchen she works in is cleaner than some hospitals. But they do serve rabbit. Rabbit Fever fits her symptoms," Foreman said.

"Tularemia initially presents with a rash or ulcer near the infection site," Chase told them.

"Not if she inhaled it. Chopping the meat with a cleaver could easily aerosolize the bacteria," Forman countered.

"No, then she'd have respiratory symptoms," Cameron said, while this was going on, she noticed the uncomfortable glances that Wilson had been giving House, she wondered if House had told him that he thought she was looking to impress someone.

"Maybe she ignored it, figured she had a cold," Foreman assumed.

"We rejected Lyme Disease because the couple would have noticed a rash, but a wet hacking cough is just going to slip right by?" House said.

"Hey, it's either that or she missed her exit on the turnpike and wound up in Africa." Foreman looked as if he wanted this debate to end.

"Two lousy ideas. Unfortunately they're better than all the other ideas. Tularemia. Bizarre. Very nice. That's why I ride you," House said before turning and heading into his office. Once the door had shut, he flicked on the TV to watch _General Hospital_. And pretended to take interest in the show but couldn't help but notice Cameron walk slowly up to Wilson. He couldn't tell what she said to him, but he replied without looking at her, and then walked out of the room. He watched her a second more before returning his attention to the TV.

An hour later, House turned off the TV and looked up as he saw his office door opening, "Foreman got the gang testing for Tularemia?" He asked as Wilson stepped inside.

"Yep," James leaned on the doorframe and stuffed his hands into the expensive dress pants that he had on.

"Probably inconclusive, but worth doing," Greg walked over to his desk and sat down putting his feet up, a smile played on his lips and Wilson stepped fully into the room, letting the door close completely so that no one would hear the conversation that he was sure was going to happen. "So what's her name? When do I get to meet her?"

"There's nobody! Give it up," Wilson was going to play along with this game; after all he'd known full well what he was getting into when they'd started their relationship.

"Your lips say no, your shoes say yes," House smirked.

Wilson was intrigued and countered with, "well they're French, you can't trust a word they say."

"What the spice gone from our relationship already?" He looked at Wilson, amusement sparkling in his eyes.

"No!" House frowned at him, and inwardly James knew that he been too quick to answer.

"Well, you're obviously wearing that suit for a reason, what is it?"

Wilson knew it did no good to argue and sighed, deciding on the truth, "fine! I am trying to impress someone." He may have told the truth but he wasn't finished with House yet.

Greg raised his eyebrows and smiled, "I knew it! Who is it?"

"You…"

House snorted, "You don't need to impress me." Wilson sighed and House decided that it was time that he be a little nicer. "James, I love you as you are and changing the way you dress is not gonna make me like you anymore than I already do." He paused and looked at Wilson, searching for signs that his words had had an effect on him. He found it in a nod. "But I suggest that you stop before you encourage other staff members to follow Cameron."

"What?" Wilson looked confused.

"You haven't noticed!"

"No."

"I think Cameron wants you." Wilson looked surprised. "The way she's been dressing lately, and whenever you're in the room she glues her eyes to you."

"I didn't notice," James said.

"Of course you didn't, you were too busy ogling at me." He saw a blush creeping into Wilson's face.

"Hi boys," they looked up to find Cuddy standing the doorway, an envelope in her hand. "Mrs. Campbell's test results." Both looked mystified, despite their conversation that she had possibly overheard. "Oh, you remember her, the preschool teacher with the heart of silicon?"

"Nope, doesn't ring a bell." Greg saw that Wilson looked uncomfortable now that Cuddy was in front of him.

"They came in yesterday; I figured you guys would have been all over them. I know how concerned you are," she said, opening the envelope and pulling out the papers.

"She's all upset because we paid more attention to the other girl. You check out her ass, I've got the chest," House said, hoping to rid James of that pained expression that he wore. It worked; Wilson gave him a little laugh and smile.

"The tests were normal. Course that's just my opinion, you may want to call a couple of guys from maintenance in for a consult," Cuddy said as she turned to leave the office.

House looked at Wilson and asked, "You check her EKG results before she left the other day?"

"You ordered it," Wilson replied.

"You're the responsible one," Greg smiled as he watched James roll his eyes.

"What's wrong? They look normal to me." Cuddy stopped and turned to look at House.

"Where is she?" he asked.

"Waiting downstairs, why?"

"I was right." House followed her out of the office.

Later that afternoon, after the patient had been properly diagnosed and was now receiving treatment, House sat alone in his office. He had been thinking about whether or not Wilson decided to take an interest in Cameron; he knew James' reputation with women and it wasn't good. But was the fact that he now had a relationship with House going to stop him from pursuing girls? Probably not, but Greg wasn't sure if he could let Wilson continue to do it.

"Dr. House?" His eyes snapped up at the sound of Cameron's voice.

"What?" She stood just inside the doorway, file folder in hand. "If this is about a patient, just do whatever you think should be done."

Alison eyed the folder and said quietly, "it's not about a patient."

"Well, since you wondered into my office carrying a file in your hand, I could only assume that it was a patient's, seems how you pointed out so clearly that you're _not _interested in anyone," he said and watched her shift uneasily before making her way towards his desk.

She sighed, "Its Dr. Wilson's profile."

House did his best to hide the amusement that was trying to creep its way into his face. He decided to play dumb, "and what would _you_ be doing with Wilson's profile?"

"I uh, I just thought I'd…" Cameron's voice trailed off and her face turned pink as she looked away from him.

"Just thought you'd find out, how he likes his steak? Or perhaps what his taste in music is?" He quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Don't be ridiculous, they don't put things like that in the files," She said before sighing. "I just thought that I might find out more about him, that's all."

"Right," Greg said sarcastically. "You like him."

"No!"

House leered and got up from the chair he sat in; he bent over so that his face was level and close to hers, "well stay away, he's mine." Cameron looked shocked as he smirked again and snatched Wilson's file from her hands, and watched in disbelief as he walked out of the office.

The next morning he noticed that Cameron had gone back to way she normally looked: pretty, but professional.

He had just finished with a clinic patient when Wilson walked up behind him, "nice turtleneck," he said with a sneer on his face.

"Thank you," House replied smugly and then his eyes narrowed at the exceedingly ugly yellow tie that Wilson was wearing. "Can't say the same for that thing though." And as he watched Wilson roll his eyes and walk away, House wondered how he had _ever_ let James leave his apartment this morning wearing that hideous tie.


End file.
